Author: Leigh Geary
The map client of choice, for most people at least, has to be Google Maps. The Streetview technology and satellite views are some of the reasons that this particular app has been installed more than 1 billion times. That and the fact that other apps, websites and TV …
Most smartphones have a range of shooting options on the camera. The panoramic setting is probably one you’ve tried, but despite all the clever wizardry and screen overlays in panoramic mode, there’s always some slightly odd-looking shots. This, then, is the Panoramic Pod. A device which you clamp …
Archos have just announced a cheap smartphone for you. Well, actually they’ve announced two of them. The first is the Archos 50b Oxygen smartphone, which costs a mere £129. It has a full black laminated 5″ IPS HD screen and an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p encoding and …
OK, OK. Here’s the token World Cup news post. We have been bombarded with emails from PR agencies who are trying desperately to make their accessory, phone or app have something to do with football. This, though, is the official app from FIFA. FIFA have been accused of …
No, you’re not going to get one completely free. It’s not like some crazy person is standing on a street corner dishing these out. You’ve got to buy something else first, but it’s a rather good deal still, so that’s ok. Buy yourself a Samsung Galaxy S5 online …
It’s dawned on me that I’ve got three handsets here which are pretty interesting. I’m also aware that I’ve not published one of our “Week with” features for some time, so this could be an ideal combination. In my possession I’ve got the HTC Desire 816, which has …
Headphones are ten a penny. Getting the right ones is a tricky task and sometimes you’ll either need a software equalizer or that rather clever Beats technology to make the sound better. These headphones, Meze, are made from handcrafted beech wood. This, according to the makers, produces a …
Remember those mini satellites we told you about? They’re about the size of a shoebox and whizz around space with fairly standard (compared to other satellites) technology inside. The company responsible for them is called SkyBox and Google were sniffing around them last time we covered the tech. …
In February we managed to get a brief hands on the Desire 816. Sadly we didn’t get long with it and, at the time, nobody was allowed to turn it on. This week we’ve got some proper hands-on time with the handset. I’ve already fiddled with it for …
You may remember us talking about a smartphone projector some months ago. For really not-that-much-money you it’ll project the image from your smartphone screen onto your wall. Just before I went on my little bike ride the buys from Luckies of London delivered us a review unit, so …
OK, I’m going to take some airtime and abuse my position just one last time. Don’t turn off just yet. I’ll make this brief for you. Later today I’ll be heading for London. I’m not attending a fancy press launch with miniature food, no. I’m going to get …
Sony have sent us some pictures of their slim new phone. Renowned photographer Benjamin Kaufmann took the shots of the stainless steel handset and, I have to say, they’re pretty beautiful. It is, according to Sony, the slimmest 5.3″ smartphone in the world and has a HD Triluminos …
In a move announced at the Apple WWDC yesterday, a search engine known as “Bing” looks set to become the default search system for iPhone users. Apple seem to be further distancing themselves from Google and, after ditching Google Maps, Apple will get into bed with Microsoft instead. …
The poor Cat B15. We hosed it down, threw it in the bath and then a digger rolled over it. Somehow it kept coming back for more, no matter how much abuse we gave it. We did a full Cat B15 review but today a newer version has …
Those posh sports cameras are good, but they do tend to cost quite a bit. The Garmin Virb I looked at a short while ago can be around £200+ and, whilst it produces excellent footage, it’s quite a bit of cash. This then is READYACTION – a body …
If you want more people viewing your adverts content then one rather expensive solution is to whack a load of satellites into orbit so that a stack more people can get online. Here in the UK we’ve had satellite internet access for some time, and those living “out …
I have, I’ll admit, mentioned this before. However, on my travels I’ve seen a number of mobile phone masts and have taken a pretty un-cool fascination with them. Unless I’m going mad (which is possible), they’re getting slightly smaller and, in towns especially, cleverly hidden. I know, I’ve …
It might sound a bit like an Android phone and look like one, but this is in fact a new Tizen-based smartphone from Samsung. It’s the first Tizen smartphone we’ve seen after Samsung worked on the Galaxy Gear smartwatch which used the same OS. We’ve already got a …
I’m not going mad am I? Samsung did definitely tell us that the Galaxy K Zoom would be available two days ago, but now it seems that the handset will actually be available today. “Selected” online and high street retailers will be selling the phone, including Carphone Warehouse …
Something is wrong with my head. Whenever those lovely people at Garmin get in touch with us I can’t stop thinking about the “Ch-ch-ch-ch… charmin” advert. It’s toilet roll. I mean. Big, soft toilet roll. Nothing like Garmin products, but I can’t get it out of my head. …
Now, you look like the sort of person who needs a Sony 64GB microSD card. The Class 10 card is now down to £19.99 at Carphone Warehouse , down from £39.99. There’s a stack of other ones if you fancy something a bit smaller. Hmm.. that article came …
I promised myself I wouldn’t mention any more Kickstarter campaigns. However, it’s Friday and it’s pretty much the weekend so here goes. I could witter on about the battery on your smartphone and how it’s just not as good as you’d like it to be, but … you …
It’s nearly the weekend, so we’ll let this one through the official Coolsmartphone “stuff that we should publish” filter. It’s a shaver. Yeah, I know. Put this against your ear and it’s not going to be a great smartphone. However, thanks to the Apple-esque addition of the letter …
Driving is a pretty dangerous pastime. You’ve got to watch out for truck drivers watching movies on their laptops and other drivers texting and fiddling with GPS apps while trying to negotiate a roundabout. When you get into town there’s pedestrians crossing the road without looking up from …
You’ll have seen services like this before I’m sure. Oh and yes, I’m sure there’s a great deal of you who use Google Hangouts or WhatsApp to keep in touch too, but MightyText seems to have a rather slick solution if texting off your smartphone is becoming a …
Got a sticker on the back of your company car, van or lorry that asks people to judge your driving? How about proving it to your boss? Flo, an Android app, is part game, part driving improvement. You download it, get in your car, stick your phone on …
My recent charity cycle ride (feel free to donate) was all “on road”, so a quick check of Google Maps would let me know where the next turning was. Now, if you’re planning to go off road then you’re going to need something a bit better. Finding your …
I love it when you guys email us. Do that more. Go on, give us a nudge on the contact form. If you have anything we should be talking about here, give us a yell. Szuting Chao has given us an email because he’s seen the HTC One …
I’m sure we’ve all had those visits to the services on the motorway. Usually, in between a coffee and a quick “comfort break” you’ll see one of those “Dancing Stage” machines. Perhaps, if you’re on a night out and had a few “shandies”, you’ll probably try and have …
We’ve already seen LG announce details of the case for the G3 before it’s even been announced (which was… weird) and last night we saw a massive stack of videos. Now another shot has appeared, courtesy of the usual suspect. Blimey, just a few leaks then! Now, we …
Smartphones. Usually high powered. Usually pretty pricey. Usually they tie you into a long contract where you’re paying a bit more per month for the latest shiny thing. Vodafone got in touch with us to promote their “Affordable Smartphone Campaign”. They didn’t send us any money. They didn’t …
In October last year Virgin launched Smartcall. The app, which you can download for iPhone or Android handsets let’s you use your home Virgin Phone talk plan on your smartphone. It’s effectively the home phone you can take anywhere and works on pretty much any WiFi hotspot you …
The advent of superfast 4G connectivity comes as a double-edged sword. For the customer this is the ideal solution for that traditional “last mile” issue. For the provider, you have to provide a service which is priced to discourage it being used as an always-on fixed-line broadband replacement. …
The all-new budget Moto E just got a little cheaper thanks to a cheeky little discount code you can apply at Tesco Direct. Whack in the code TDX-TH6W and you’ll get £10 off the price, bringing it down from £79.99 to £69.99, then you can pop into Tesco …
The world of music and entertainment has changed significantly over the last decade or so. Before that, we saw vinyl getting replaced by CD’s and then MP3’s. In the last decade people have switched from traditional brick-and-mortar shops to downloading tunes online. However, streaming music services like Spotify …
You could be seeing a 10% monthly price hike on Vodafone soon. It’s not the actual contract cost but the cost of the out-of-bundle charges that are going up. The network will be working out how much costs will increase based on a “three month profile” and will …
Alright my lovelies? Fancy a tablet for £125? Well that, my friends, is called a “hook”. It’s an 8″ HD tablet with 3G connectivity courtesy of Vodafone. The Smart Tab 4 includes a 2GB data bundle if you splash out the aforementioned £125 for the PAYG model, or …
Fancy the Samsung K Zoom? You’ve not got long to wait. According to the Samsung website the blue one will along a little later (June 13th) but you can get the black and white one on May 29th – a week today. Either way, the price (unlocked) for …
The streaming TV and movie service, Netflix is to be offered up by Vodafone on their Red 4G plans priced over £26. The deal, which adds to their existing Spotify and Sky Sports offers, dishes up a six-month pre-pad subscription to Netflix. The 4G network from Vodafone is …
EE have also today announced a new tablet today. It is “The UK’s most affordable 4G tablet” which is this, the Eagle. It’s a rebranded 8″ Huawei tablet and comes with a quad-core CPU, 5 megapixel shooter, 16GB of storage (plus you get a microSD for more space) …
